This invention relates generally to photography and deals more particularly with a device that enables users to photograph themselves with a single use camera.
Single use cameras have achieved considerable popularity in recent years, primarily because they are inexpensive and often more convenient than other types of cameras. A single use camera takes photographs on a single roll of film and is then discarded. This makes single use cameras especially well suited for use in outdoor settings where there may be a reluctance to use more expensive cameras due to the possibility of damage to them. Thus, single use cameras are particularly popular with fishermen, hunters, campers, hikers and others engaged in outdoor activities. They are also popular among people who take photographs so infrequently that the cost of a more expensive camera is not justified.
Fishermen in particular often want to have their pictures taken with their catch. If a fisherman is alone, that is not feasible with the equipment that is currently available and practical for use on a fishing boat. There are numerous other situations, both in the outdoors and in other settings, where a need arises for persons to take pictures of themselves and there is no one else around to operate the camera.
Accordingly, it is apparent that a need exists for a device that allows persons to photograph themselves and particularly to do so inexpensively with a single use camera.
The present invention is directed to a specially constructed apparatus that allows a single use camera to be operated in a manner that users can take their own photographs. In accordance with the invention, a tripod stand is equipped at its top end with a pedestal on which a special camera housing may be mounted to hold a single use camera. The tripod can be set up, the housing can be applied to the pedestal, and the camera can be inserted into the camera housing and adjusted to face the area that is to be photographed. The user can then activate a timer button which provides a time delay adequate to allow the user to assume a position in the area where the camera is aimed. A control mechanism activates the shutter button of the camera after the time delay has elapsed, so the user appears in the photograph along with fish, game or other items within the camera field of view.
It is a particular feature of the invention that the control mechanism is constructed to assure effective and reliable operation even after repeated usage. A striker which is located above the shutter button is controlled by a spring loaded lever. A pivotal pawl acts as a stop which normally holds the lever and striker away from the shutter button. When the user depresses a timer button, conventional circuitry initiates a time delay, after which a solenoid is energized to pivot the pawl away from the lever. A spring then operates the lever and forces the striker against the shutter button to actuate the camera. A plunger can be operated manually to reset the lever and striker prior to the next photograph.
Another important feature of the invention is the special construction of the camera housing. The housing is constructed so that it can accommodate all commercially available single use cameras while assuring that their shutter buttons are aligned below the structure for reliable actuation. The camera housing has a front opening through which the camera lens views. A back opening in the camera housing allows the camera to be loaded and positioned against alignment surfaces at one side and the front. When the camera is in place within the housing, a hinged door may be closed to cover the back loading opening. The camera may be secured against the alignment surfaces by spacer blocks or pads to assure that the camera remains in a position where the striker is located directly above the shutter button. If necessary, a bottom pad may be placed beneath the camera to assure that the shutter button is located high enough to be operated by the striker.
The construction of the tripod is another important feature of the invention. Each leg is pivoted at its top end to the camera pedestal. The pedestal has a ball that may be received in a socket on the bottom of the camera housing to allow universal directional adjustment of the camera. This allows the camera to be aimed at the area desired and oriented as desired. The tripod is useful in applications other than to support a camera, including various applications that require the support of instruments and equipment such as video cameras, lights and other things.
The side wall of the pedestal is threaded and includes slots through which the tripod legs extend. A threaded adjustment ring on the pedestal can be threaded upwardly to allow the legs to spread apart or downwardly to force the legs more closely together. In this fashion, the height of the camera can be adjusted. Also, the legs can be collapsed closely together for convenient storage and transport.
Additional features of the invention include alternative mounting stands which may be used in place of the tripod. One alternative stand construction allows the camera to be mounted on a fishing boat where a front swivel seat is normally located. Another mounting arrangement includes a clamp that allows the camera stand to be mounted to virtually any desired object.
Other and further objects of the invention, together with the features of novelty appurtenant thereto, will appear in the course of the following description.